Saturday, September 13, 2008

Offense

In John Locke's famous Essay Concerning Human Understanding, he begins with an elaborate coddling of readers, basically saying "if you judge candidly, then I shall not be harmed nor offended, whatever be thy censure." While his intent is respectable, the people that would need to be coddled like this are not. Offense is formulated merely by our own undue idea of values (morality, essentially) or vanity. Anyone so frail as to actually be offended by trivial matters is likely ignorant or has an immature morality. While this does not mean that it is wrong to rail against repugnant matters (murder, bigotry, et cetera), as some things deserve condemnation, the offense propagated within oneself is one's own fault and problem, and one needs, therefore, not be concerned at all with causing offense to anyone. I know it is a delicate and hard to contemplate difference between, say, anger and offense in the way that I am describing, so I might need to attempt to do a better job of that. Anger is a natural response (and I would say proper) when the formulation is 'I have been wronged; how dare you punch me in the face!!' Anger fueled by a sense of offense, such as 'holy Hephaestus, that man is naked in public, that is soooooo grody' is wrong, although it is what we are INGRAINED BY SOCIETY to feel, so if you would react this way, then I am not necessarily condemning you as weak or ignorant or anything in a negative vein at all (although it could be the reason if you have thought about it extensively).

As to a sense of offense due to vanity, it is absurd, and if you are vain to the point you feel offense, then you are a fucking idiot. A problem with dealing with this is what people instantly think of when they think of vanity, which is most often to equate vanity with excessive pride in appearance (which is NOT a bad thing at all, as we all should hope to look good, and being told we are good looking leads to sexuality and great happiness!). What I am talking about is an excessive feeling of worth to where one becomes indignant over being served a wine one dislikes, or if one were to pitch a fit if that similar wine was spilled all over one's primly perfect carpet. This indignation and offense is the most offensively immature and ignorant form of undue expectations that anyone who is not this way inherently ridicules it; however, most people would act this way if rich or able to get away with it, probably.

I will say that some people find it fun to be senselessly offended or to rail about matters that ought to make every human indignant because by HERA it makes me offended! and that is fine, although it is a prideful and ignorant indulgence (because offending what makes us indignant, once again, mostly morally, is the proper way to approach life is absurd).

5 comments:

this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit

this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit

this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit this is bullshit